Joshua Polloso Epifaniou, 22, from Nicosia, was sentenced yesterday Wednesday (17/03) in the Northern District of Georgia by US Judge Mark H. Cohen to 12 months and one day in prison, for more than four years. Epifaniou has been in custody since his arrest in Cyprus in May 2017, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Epifaniou pleaded guilty to federal charges of computer fraud in Arizona and northern Georgia. As a result of his conviction, Epifaniou lost $ 389.113 and 70.000 euros, while he paid $ 600.000 in compensation to the victims of his fraud. Epifaniou is the first Cypriot national to be extradited from Cyprus to the United States.
"Cybercrime is a threat to both our privacy and the security of American companies," said Anthony Martin, a U.S. attorney general. "We will work diligently with our law enforcement associates to ensure that the perpetrators are identified and brought to justice."
Between October 2014 and May 2017, Epifaniou hacked websites and monitored cyber traffic to identify targets for blackmail. After selecting online targets, Epifaniou collaborated with conspirators to steal personally identifiable information from the websites' databases. Epifaniou then used proxies located in foreign countries to connect to email accounts and send messages to sites threatening to leak sensitive data unless ransom was paid for encryption.
The victims of the computer-generated terrorist attack on the Epiphany were a sports news website owned by Turner Broadcasting System Inc. in Atlanta, Georgia, a free web game publisher based in Irvine, California, a New York-based hardware company. Innsbruck, Virginia-based employment website and a consumer reporting site, Ripoff Report, based in Phoenix, Arizona.
Following the blackmail of the Ripoff Report, Epifaniou also hacked his website to remove online complaints at the request of customers. Epifaniou and his partner, Pierre Zarokian, charged customers between $ 1.000 and $ 5.000 for each complaint removal. Epifaniou was indicted in Arizona, while Zarokian was convicted last year.
"This man was chasing people for his own personal gain," said Sean Kaul, FBI Phoenix Field Office Special Officer. "FBI agents, analysts and support staff have worked tirelessly on this case. "This investigation should send a strong message that the FBI has a long way to go, and no matter where you are, we will continue to use all available resources and use foreign partnerships in the United States to identify criminals."
The FBI is investigating the case. Foreign law enforcement associates also made significant contributions to the investigation, including the Cyprus Police Cybercrime Bureau. The U.S. Attorneys' Office for the Arizona and Northern Georgia Districts handled the prosecution, with the help of the International Criminal Court's Office of Criminal Affairs.
Source: Sigmalive